Indian Rationalist Shot Dead

Indian police are investigating the murder of a prominent campaigner for rationalism.

Pune’s crime branch is investigating the murder of Narendra Dabholkar, an eminent Indian rationalist who was shot dead in the western Indian city Tuesday morning.

Mr. Dabholkar was killed by two gunmen when he was taking his morning walk, police said.

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“Police [are] trying to ascertain the motorcycle and the assailants’ details from CCTV camera footage in the vicinity,” according to a statement released by the police. “We are investigating all angles in this case,” Gulabrao Pol, Pune’s police commissioner told India Real Time. “The Maharashtra government has announced a reward of one million rupees (US$15,625) for information on this case.”

His lectures, however, didn’t chime with Hindu hardliners, according to the members of his organization ‘Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti,’ the Maharashtra Committee for Eradication of Blind Faith, which he founded in 1989.

“I don’t think the ploys of shutting down one voice will stop the progress of human beings,” said Deepak J Girme, member of the committee, which is one of the most vocal proponents of a proposed law that aims to eradicate black magic and superstitious activities.

“Rationalism will prevail,” Mr. Girme added.

Many of Mr. Dabholkar’s supporters came to pay their last respects Tuesday at the Sadhana Media Center in Pune, the office of ‘Sadhana’ Weekly, a Marathi-language magazine promoting scientific thought which he edited.

His body has now been taken to his hometown of Satara, a district in Maharashtra for cremation, said Mr. Girme, who has been working with Mr. Dabholkar for around 17 years.

“This is a big loss for the [rationalist] movement,” said Madhav Bagve, another member of the anti-superstition organization.

“They [killers] couldn’t fight him with ideas,” said Mr. Girme who described Mr. Dabholkar as a very “loving and caring” person.

Pune Police

A sketch of one of the suspects released by Pune Police.

In India, especially in areas with high levels of illiteracy, people are often highly superstitious. In Madhya Pradesh, a farmer bit and subsequently killed a snake that had bitten him. Some people in tribal areas believe that to be the cure for a snake bite.

Holy men in India often enjoy a cult following in the country.

Mr. Dabholkar wasn’t against religion but he was against swindling in the name of god, said Mr. Girme.

In 2011, a 78-year-old black magic practitioner was arrested by the police after he robbed a woman after promising to cure white patches on her skin, according to a report in The Times of India.

The Maharashtra government has been debating the legislation against superstition for around 15 years but the act still hasn’t been passed by the state assembly.

Mr. Dabholkar, along with his organization, had a major contribution in drafting the state anti-superstition and black magic bill, which was approved by the Maharashtra state cabinet nearly eight years ago, but the state government has yet to get the assembly’s nod to convert it into a law.

The bill was opposed by some members of Warkari sect, a religious sect in Maharashtra and Sanatan Santha, an organization that works to spread information about Hindu religion and its practices, while political parties including Hindu nationalist Shiv Sena had expressed reservations about it. Abhay Vartak, a spokesman for the Sanatan Sanstha, said that this organization condemned the killing of Mr. Dabholkar.

“Our opposition to his thoughts, was an ideological one,” Mr. Vartak said.

“We opposed the planned bill as it could hurt some of the traditional practices Hindu religion has followed over the years, while trying to do away with superstition and other things,” he added.

Sanjay Raut, a Shiv Sena leader and a member of Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the parliament told reporters Tuesday that his party had a difference of opinion with Mr Dabholkar regarding the anti-superstition bill, but the party condemns his killing.

A Shiv Sena spokersperson couldn’t be immediately reached directly for a comment.

Sharad Pawar, India’s farm minister and former chief minister of Maharashtra, said “the killing of Dr Dabholkar, will not end the secular movement in Maharashtra.”

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